Solar

Nextracker adding 4 GW of capacity with U.S. steel facility expansion

Nextracker adding 4 GW of capacity with U.S. steel facility expansion
A factory worker on the Nextracker-dedicated line at JM Steel’s Leetsdale steel facility. (Photo: Nextracker)

Nextracker, a global provider of intelligent solar tracker and software solutions, and JENNMAR Holdings subsidiary JM Steel, a steel processing provider, announced the completion of an expansion of Nextracker-dedicated manufacturing lines at JM Steel’s Leetsdale, Pennsylvania steel facility achieving 4 GW of capacity.

Inaugurated and reopened in 2022, the refurbished factory produces steel components to support rising demand for solar energy across Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic. The expansion more than doubles the facility’s production capacity. The facility now features solar tube lines with automated drilling and swedging, in addition to other upgrades.

For Nextracker, this latest expansion also marks 20 new or expanded U.S. manufacturing partner facilities since 2021 and enables the company to provide over 25 GW of U.S. solar tracker capacity each year.

“We are thrilled to be partnered with JM Steel and celebrate the expansion of the Pittsburgh facility to serve customer demand. This facility is also expected to produce core components of our new low carbon tracker offering announced this week,” said Dan Shugar, founder and CEO of Nextracker. “The U.S. solar market is continuing to demonstrate strong growth. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has forecasted solar to grow 26% on an annual compounded rate and be the number one source of energy in the U.S. within a decade.”

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According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), solar power now accounts for 53% of all new electricity generation in the U.S., adding 32.4 GW of solar power in 2023 and surpassing 23.6 GW in the prior year.

Last year, Nextracker opened a dedicated steel production line in Las Vegas with Unimacts, another in Memphis with MSS Steel Tubes USA, and a self-powered controller and high-voltage power supply line in California with Asteelflash. It has more production lines in Texas, Arizona, and Illinois.

In January, Nextracker announced it finalized its separation from Singapore-based Flex Ltd. Nextracker announced the spin-off plans last October, in addition to its Q2 financial results.

Nextracker CEO Dan Shugar recently appeared on the Factor This! podcast, where he discussed his journey from an engineer in the solar group at Pacific Gas & Electric in the late 80s to leading PowerLight to a $335 million acquisition by SunPower. He later served as CEO of module manufacturer Solaria before spinning off the company’s tracker technology to create Nextracker.

Shugar also appeared on Factor This! in 2022 and discussed Nextracker’s decision to invest heavily in U.S. manufacturing amid supply chain constraints and trade disputes facing the solar industry.